


That Night

by Ex_Hominem



Series: Raison D'Etre [2]
Category: Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Beast!Wirt - Freeform, Gen, It gets a little dark, Sad Ending, Wirt sucks at saying good bye, mild gore but it isn't that severe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 23:54:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8821306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ex_Hominem/pseuds/Ex_Hominem
Summary: In which Wirt reflects on the questions that Bill posed for him and remembers the night horns grew out of his head.The Beast sauntered foreword, "Let me do you a favor, I’ll give you something to live for."





	

**Author's Note:**

> A little side story to the one-shot I posted earlier (although this ended up being longer)  
> (unedited)

The door to a cabin opened and Wirt stepped inside, wood tied to his back. He didn’t bother acknowledging the dark figure sitting his arm chair.

“How was work today?”

“How should I know?” Wirt cranked up the machine and began feeding it Edelwood twigs.

The room rang with a deep chuckle, "So much time has passed and you haven’t changed. Much. Still the same rebelling attitude, at least.”

Wirt glanced up from where he was collecting oil.

The Beast leaned his chin into his hand, “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten how you were before? Do you even know how much time has passed?”

“That doesn’t matter anymore.”

Wirt felt the Beast’s eyes following him. He paused. Wait, was this beast actually expecting a story about his day?

“I can tell something new happened today, Wirt. Do tell.”

Wirt groaned, “I met a talkative traveler.”

“And?”

“He knows about you… and the type of garbage you pull on people.”

"Hmm...That might have been Bill.”

“I don’t care. Anyways, he called me a puppet and asked me why I still work like I do.”

“….and what did you say?”

“I decided I wasn’t obligated to tell him.”

Wirt closed his eyes to avoid having to see the Beast’s reaction. Thankfully, the Beast did not press on. Wirt sat against the grinding machine and thought about that annoying boy’s question. Why _did_ he keep that lantern lit? He sighed. His head hurt. The build up of these repeated routine days in the woods had stacked up so high that all older memories felt like a dream.That one night was so far away…Back then, what color were his eyes?

****

Wirt glanced around, breathing heavily. He quickly reached down and picked up the ax, “Stay away from us!”

The woodsman lay on the ground, his attempted revenge a failure. The lantern was back in the hands of its original owner. Beatrice was on the ground, unconscious. Wirt glanced behind him where Greg was slowly paling as branches wound around his neck.

The Beast stepped closer. Wirt scrambled in front of Greg protectively, “I swear if you take another step-”

“Boy, won’t you reconsider my offer and give yourself up to keep me alive?”

“Huh?! What kind of one-sided agreement is that?!” Wrtt snarled, “No way!”

“My lantern and your brother will only last so long. I need a woodsman, and you need Gregory.”

“You and I both know we don’t give a _damn_ about each other's needs," Wirt pointed his ax at the looming horned figure in front of him, "Leave us alone!" 

“Will you see your brother die then? Turned into a resource used to grind up some oil?”

“I already told you that this entire deal is dumb! Why can’t you just light your own lantern?!” Witt raged, ”What do you _do_ anyways, wandering around the forest all night? Are you afraid of the light, is that it?! You stupid monster!”

The Beast hunched his shoulders in disgust and glanced at the lantern in his clawed hands. He suddenly leaned foreword, causing the boy in front of him to take a hasty step back. The Beast’s eyes loomed an inch away from Wirt’s, the lamp illuminating the many faces of terror that adorned the Beast's skin.

“You are right,” Wirt squirmed as every word from the Beast's mouth brought a breath of musty, ancient air, “I hate the light from the bottom of my heart. I cannot do anything for it or to it, but I do not fear it. As for how I live my life, that is completely up to me, the same way it is up to you. We’re both running out of time, child. Make your decision.”

“Go to hell! I don’t want to wander around this creepy forest for the rest of my life!”

“Then I suppose I’ll just die when this lantern fades away,” The Beast feigned a frustrated sigh, “I’ll wither, with my dead soul at my side, but not before your brother completely turns into a tree. My death doesn’t save those who have already fallen, you know.”

“Who would want to be your slave?”

“And who would want to become a tree?” The Beast challenged, “If you run away, you will be safe, but your brother will be rooted in the ground, _alone_ , unable to move, to scream, even if he is cold and afraid. His only release will be when an ax slices him into pieces! You may rant about what you don’t want, but your brother also has his own wishes. Why don’t you ask him, _Wirt?_ What does _he_ want?”

“I don’t need to ask him,” Wirt hissed, “He wants to go home.”

“Then you know how to get him there.”

Witt spat, “This is all your fault.”

“ _You’re_ his big brother.”

The look Wirt shot at the Beast could have grounded ships. He took a step foreword, pressing his face right up against the Beast's, “I _hate_ you. You’re _disgusting_ , and _selfish_ and a damn _coward_ who can't even take care of his own damn lantern. Even Beatrice in her tiny bird body is stronger than you! You make me sick! I wish you’d just die!”

“That’s fine with me,” The Beast titled his head, “Curse me ’til your dying days, I don’t care. I don’t need your loyalty, much less your praise. I only require your obedience. What do you think? The clock is ticking.” The Beast then lowered his voice, "If you were in Gregory's position, wouldn't you wish someone would help you?"

The Beast waited. A myriad of expressions passed through Wirt's face as he glared at the Beast.

Wirt glanced behind him “…Get those branches out of Greg.”

“Is this an agreement I hear?”

The Beast saw it in the boy’s body language even before the words came out, the way his shoulders sagged, how the circles under his eyes suddenly looked deeper. The boy seemed to have aged a decade, “Just get them out.”

 

****

 

“Oi, Greg. Greg. Gregory, I know you can hear me. Stop sleeping and wake up.”

Greg slowly opened his eyes. The face of his brother swam into view, “Wirt!” Greg shot up, “I’m-“ Greg looked at his hands. Experimentally, he coughed. No leaves came out, “I’m not a tree!” He announced.

“No you’re not,” Wirt helped his brother up, “Let’s go home.”

“What happened to the Beast?” Greg looked around the clearing. Moonlight was filtering through the empty wood.

“I don’t know," Wirt dusted Greg off, "He left after mocking the woodsman and trying to convince me to join him. It was a dumb deal.”

“So you said no right?” Greg bounced on his feet, “You wouldn’t be so stupid to fall for his tricks right, oh brother of mine?”

Witt smirked, “What do you think?”

Greg frowned, “Well I _am_ your brother…hey, where did Beatrice go? I can’t believe I almost forgot about her!”

Witt stared at his brother. Right. He should have woken him up in time to say goodbye.

( _“So you had those scissors all along,” Beatrice’s voice was shaking. She has just woken up but that was not the reason for her trembling._

_“Yeah, sorry for keeping them from you. I was angry,” Wirt smiled, “You can turn your family back human now.”_

_‘“That can wait,” Beatrice cried, “Let, let me accompany you. Wirt, I-”_

_Wirt shook his head, “No, I think I should go with Greg alone. I promise I’ll tell Greg that everything worked out for you. He’ll be sad to hear that you left but he’s really understanding.”_

_“Are you…are you going to tell him?”_

_Wirt scratched his head, “I’ll decide later. He’s been through a lot, but he's still just a kid.”_

_“Really….” Beatrice attempted to laugh, but all that came out was another string of sobs, “But you’re a kid too, Wirt. You’re only a kid! You even haven’t seen anything yet.”_

_Witt smiled, “Actually, this journey has given me enough memories to last a life time. You should get going, I don’t want to keep you. Thank you, Beatrice.”)_

“She’s headed home, like us.”

“Aww… but I didn’t get to say good bye. Hey, maybe now that she’s human she can come visit us! I could bring her for show and tell!” Greg lit up, “I can tell everyone about our adventures.”

Witt laughed, “But I don’t think anybody will believe you. Even if you say ‘it’s a rock fact!’ ” Greg's eyes were saucers. He slowly took in his brother's first serious attempt at a joke. His lower lip trembled. The two brothers burst into laughter as they made their way down the forest path, “You should return the rock when you get back,” Wirt chuckled.

“Yeah.”

“And remember to be quiet when the teacher is talking.”

“…right.”

“You’re also prone to saying the truth, even when it embarrasses other people. Try to stop doing that from now on. And don’t bring Jason to class, the kids may like it but he’ll be a disturbance. Listen to mom more often too, and-“

"Wirt, you’re being really bossy.”

“Oh, sorry.” Wirt gripped his brother’s hand. He suddenly looked up. He could see the end of the trail,”I think we’re here.”

“The wall!” Jason croaked in surprise as Greg suddenly leapt up, “We’re gonna go home!”

Wirt watched Greg dash to the end of the path. His throat clenched and he raised a hand, reaching foreword, “Hey Greg.”

His little brother turned, one hand already on the wall, ready to propel himself over, “What, oh brother of mine?”

Wirt looked down. It was so hard to breathe. _Now_ , now _, otherwise you’ll never get another chance to-_  But then he looked up. He saw the smile on Greg’s face, his bright hopeful eyes. He was so tiny. He was probably going to run a lot when his legs grew longer, not that he didn’t run very much now. A smile slowly made its way to Wirt's lips, “Nothing. You go on ahead. Last one is a rotten egg.”

Greg beamed, “You betcha!”

Greg pushed himself over. His tiny body sailed over the stacked stone. The moonlight glinted on his teapot. “Woohoo!”

Jason croaked, then Greg vanished, and there was nothing but a stone wall.

 

_******_

Wirt stared at the lantern in his hands. He was back in the forest. He watched the flame dancing before his eyes. It was hard to think about how warm it felt considering what it actually was. Wirt's eyes stung. He felt like he was going to explode. He could punch a thousand walls and this feeling would never disappear. Wirt's breath shook and he eyed the lantern. Anger and temptation clouded his mind and he prepared to suck in a breath when-

A shadow appeared beside his and he heard a voice behind him.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” Wirt exhaled, “So, should I start tonight?”

The boy was met in silence. He whipped around, " _Well?!"_

“You know…” The Beast contemplated, “I have a feeling you will be a hard worker…and a lot more entertaining than the previous woodsmen. I’ve had them toil day and night, trapped in the fear of failing their loved ones. But what about you, who will work for a lantern you know is empty? You, who will continue to work into the dead of night for someone who can’t even return your favor, who doesn’t even _know_ what you did for him much less say thank you or provide comfort? What will _you_ do? What raison d’être will you tell yourself every night before you sleep in order to keep from going insane? An ax is also good for slitting necks, even your own.”

Wirt's face was absolutely contorted, “Why the hell ask me that when you’ve taken everything away?” 

“I'm just offering...would you like me to give you a purpose in this life, something you can tell yourself every time you begin to doubt?” The Beast gripped Wirt where he was holding the lantern, “I like you, boy. You still have will left in your eyes, but I don’t like the idea of you one day betraying me like the old man once tried to, nor do I like the idea of you dying off, a mortal, wasted life.” The Beast took a step closer, “That simply won’t do.”

“No,” Wirt’s voice shook, “You’ve done enough to me.”

The Beast pushed forewords until he had Wirt pressed against a tree, his twisted hand still on the boy's arm, “ _Perhaps_ you may grow too scared to ever betray me, but you can still betray yourself. I don’t want to see this will of yours die out. Let me do you a favor, I’ll give you something to live for.”

“Stop!” Witt snarled, “I don’t-” He heard a squelch. For a second he couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Then the world jolted and he fell to his knees screaming. His arm, his arm. His vision shook. He saw the Beast’s hand on his wrist, he saw tendrils worming under his skin. Blood gushed out. No no no no no- "STOP, STOP!" 

They’re in his shoulders, he can feel them twisting around his insides. Disgusting, disgusting. There’s something growing, stop, stop, stop, stop. This can't be happening. What the hell is happening? Wirt tore at the Beast’s hands until his nails bled, “Get out GET OUT GET OUT!”

"We're nearly there.'

The lantern suddenly grew dimmer. Wirt’s chest burst into a hellish heat and he doubled over. Every struggling breath burnt the inside of his mouth. Every pulse of his heart sent a wave of fire through his veins “What..." Wirt gasped, "What did you _do_ to me?!" 

Somewhere in the background, he heard a low drone, the Beast’s voice, “I have taken some of what was mine and put it inside of you. Your heart will never rest until the flame inside is smothered, something only I can do."

Wirt froze.  _What the hell did he just say?_

"You're free to do whatever you want, but if this lantern goes out, _you_ will be my last wick. In the time I have left using your flame, I will hunt down Gregory and kill him. Then I will turn on all the people you have befriended in The Unknown. I won’t stop until I drain you dry. Then you'll finally die alongside everyone you failed to-" 

_"Get OUT of me!"_

"-And if it takes you centuries to betray me, well, then I’ll just take care of their descendants. And trust me, I _will_ find them. Live for their sake, Wirt.” The boy could barely see straight. The Beast’s eyes melted into swimming orbs around his face, “Live for your loved ones, forever.” 

"I didn't ask for this," Wirt clutched at his chest, "This can't be how it works-"

"Unfortunately, Wirt, you forfeited your right to request anything when you accepted my deal."

Then the Beast put his other hand over Wirt's head. Wirt's body seized. The sound of a puncture. Many punctures. His throat hurt. It's too loud. What's that noise? Why does his throat hurt? Who's screaming?

_I'm screaming._

_I'm screaming._

_I'm screaming I'm screaming I'm screaming. They're in here, they're in here get out get out get oUt geT Out GEt OUT GET OUT GET OUT_

Wirt screamed. He screamed until blood bubbled from this mouth, until no sound could come out any more, until he couldn’t even move as he felt the invasion worm around his head, behind his eyes, out of his skin. He felt something split the top of his head and then he felt nothing.

His mind drifted to Greg's smiling face and his chest tightened. 

 

 _I want to die_.

 

***

 

Greg’s eyes flew open. His body was rattling and he was strapped securely to a bed. He heard a very familiar noise all around him. The Ambulance. Right, he fell into a pond, passed out, and-

Jason Funderburker!

Greg reached around. He felt hands gently push him back on to the bed. His mom was crying at the side. As he trashed around, Greg caught sight of his frog sleeping peacefully in a container. Greg sighed in relief and laughed.

“Haha…we’re safe,” Greg murmured, “I made it, Wirt. I’m first. You’re a rotten egg….Wirt?”

Greg wasn’t groggy anymore. He sat up again. Somewhere, he heard the crying getting louder. He looked around.

“Wirt?

Wirt?”

 

*****

 

A boy chopped at a tree. It was a beautiful plant, twisting upwards towards the sky in a wavy pattern. It grew by a lake, with part of its roots submerged in gently lapping waves.

The boy gave a last chop, and the tree toppled into the water with a crash.

Hee should break it into smaller pieces now.

His flimsy arms shook as he held the ax,  but he didn’t feel it. His chest didn’t burn anymore either. He absentmindedly scratched at the side of his face. The sound of nail against bark sounded quietly in the night.

“You’re working hard.”

The boy stiffened at the presence behind him and slowly turned around, “What do you want?”

A gnarled hand touched the part of the boy’s face that wasn’t laced in branches and peered closer, “Does your head still hurt? What about your eyes?”

“Stop pretending to care,” The boy slapped the hand away, “Just let me work. I want to be alone.”

He felt a hand ruffle his hair. The boy’s stomach twisted at this mock affection and he fought the urge to swing his ax behind him.  _His_ ax.

“I think I’ll let you take a break after tonight,” The Beast mused.

“You know I can’t do that.”

The boy couldn’t see the Beast’s face, but he knew the tall creature was smiling, “If you’re ever feeling lonely, I’m right here, Mr. Woodsman.”

Then he was gone.

The boy gripped his ax and walked to the water’s edge. The lake splashed up his shins as he trudged deeper to where the branches were. The water was cold. Then the lake stilled and the boy could see the sky reflected in the lake, a rippling silver basin with a white sphere in the middle. The boy looked down into the water.

A horned, stone faced figure stared back at him with pale pupils.

The boy’s face broke into a smile, he gripped his stomach, back shaking with laughter

_“You wouldn’t be so stupid to fall for his tricks right?”_

The boy rubbed a hand across his face, “Sorry Greg….but I’m pathetic and will never be as smart as you.”

Wirt stepped through his reflection and approached the fallen tree. He stared into the empty eyes of the frightened face engraved in the wood.

His ax came down.

Chop.

Chop.

Chop.

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave kudos if you enjoyed!


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